Across The Sea (8 page)

* * *

Two British Royal Navy ships
sailed along at great speed. One was the HMS Glide. The other: the
colossal battle horse, the HMS Whisper.

Captain Strick stood on deck at
the bow of the Glide, his telescope raised to his right eye.
Through the round lens, he could see a thriving harbour up ahead
and the booming city it belonged to: Grand Marine. On the horizon,
buildings rose up against the sunshine. Captain Strick adjusted his
telescope to the left and saw what Captain Mann had advised him
would be there. It was only visible from this distance, and at this
angle – as they moved closer to Grand Marine, they would no longer
be able to see it. Through his telescope, Captain Strick could see
that a little ways from the harbour was a vast bay surrounded by
forest. This bay, Mann had informed him, was unmatched as an
effective haven for a ship to hide.

Strick observed something
moving on the water inside. From a distance, it looked rather small
but he assumed that it was a ship. He assumed that it was the Red
Mist. His heartbeat accelerated; they were so close to capturing
the legendary pirate ship, and that smug assassin. Captain Mann
knew these waters well; he had correctly predicted that this is
where Gustavo Leonard would conceal his craft.

Captain Strick lowered his
telescope and turned to his first lieutenant, First Mate Kenworth,
a fair-haired gentleman just one year the Captain's junior.

“The Red Mist believes herself
camouflaged within the bay,” Strick said. “It shall be their final
misstep.”

* * *

Aboard the Red Mist, Francis sat
with his back leaning against his cell bars. He looked over at
Keeb, who was doing the same, except that his eyes were closed.

“What’s going on?” he asked.
“What’s going to happen to us?”

Keeb opened his eyes and turned
his head, still leaning it against the bars.

“Once Bodin gets what he
wants,” he replied. “He’ll dispose of us.”

“What is it that he wants?”

Keeb paused, and then said, “He
wants…”

Bam
! A loud explosion
sounded from outside.

“What was that?” Francis
exclaimed.

“Cannon fire,” Keeb answered,
his eyes now alert. “Leonard’s being ambushed.”

Bam
!

* * *

On the water, the HMS Whisper
and the HMS Glide closed in on the Red Mist, smoke rising from a
cannon on each ship. They had not targeted the pirate ship; the
shots fired had been mere warnings.

Captain Strick stood on deck of
the HMS Glide as his ship and the HMS Whisper sailed in on either
side of the Red Mist, sandwiching it. They had surprised the Red
Mist by sailing unseen from the harbour and cutting into the hidden
bay.

Captain Strick’s men were all
in position for battle, as was Mann’s crew. Strick looked over at
the deck of the Red Mist. At once he spotted Leonard with his
wide-brimmed hat. He adored the look on his face, and in his
brownish-green eyes. It was a look of undiluted shock. Never in a
dozen lifetimes would the pirate have ever expected the Red Mist to
be trapped so completely and in this fashion.

“Surrender Bodin to us,”
Captain Strick shouted, lifting his sword over his head, and
pointing it skyward, “or we shall obliterate you.”

All of Leonard’s men moved into
position for battle.

“You have cornered the Red
Mist,” Leonard answered, displaying a lopsided grin. “Surely you
shall want to do more than just abscond with one man.”

“Please,” a voice pleaded
beside Captain Strick. Strick turned, and was staggered to see
Lily. “Whatever you do,” she continued, “you can’t sink that
ship.”

The captain pushed Lily toward
one of his crew. “Get her inside,” he ordered.

“Francis is aboard that ship,”
Lily said, as she was pulled away. “You have to be careful.”

Captain Strick turned back
toward the pirate captain. Beyond the Red Mist, he could see the
high deck of the HMS Whisper and Captain Mann’s crew. He could also
see the imposing figure of the Captain himself, his navy captain’s
hat atop his short, brown hair. Captain Mann was a legend in sea
battle.

“This is no time for
pleasantries,” Captain Strick shouted to the pirate Captain
Leonard. “Order your men to stand down and hand Bodin over to
us.”

Leonard’s grin returned. He
drew his sword. “Come and get him, you delicate fop.”

Strick sliced his sword down,
pointing it straight at the Red Mist.

“Charge!” he roared.

Planks from the Glide and the
Whisper swung down, smack-landing onto the deck of the Red Mist.
Crew members from both Navy ships stormed the pirate vessel.

The pirates came at them,
swords swinging.

From an open doorway on the HMS
Glide, Lily poked her head out to witness the battle. She stared at
one of the planks which held a British sailor and a burly pirate,
already engaged in a vigorous swordfight.

Below deck, in the storage room
aboard the Red Mist, Bodin tipped a large barrel and poured powder
from it onto the floor. Through the wood of the deck, he could hear
muffled shouts and swords clanging.

Above deck, Ratwell swung his
sword without effort, killing anyone who attempted to engage him in
battle. He saw Captain Leonard slipping away into a cabin, so he
followed, leaving behind a trail of lifeless sailors.

Captain Strick was now aboard
the Red Mist, clashing with a pirate. He stabbed the man in the
chest, and the pirate fell, dead.

“It is done!” Captain Mann’s
booming voice announced. “Surrender! Or we shall blow this raft
straight back to Hades!”

Several pirates dropped their
swords and raised their hands. Others looked around and soon
realized that with both the crews of the Glide and the Whisper
aboard, they were outnumbered. They too released their swords and
lifted their hands.

Captain Mann looked over
everyone's heads. “Where is Bodin?” he demanded.

No one spoke.

“One of you had better speak,”
Captain Strick added.

BAM
!
BAM
!
BAM
!

Explosions blasted up through
the deck, chunks of wood flying everywhere.

Captain Strick grabbed onto the
gunwale to keep from falling. The vessel tilted forward.

The Red Mist was sinking, bow
first.

“Transfer as many prisoners as
you can to your ship!” Captain Mann shouted to Captain Strick.

Pirates were clutched by the
arm and forced away.

Everyone moved fast.

Lily, from the deck of the HMS
Glide, stared at the British sailors as they scrambled off the Red
Mist with their prisoners. Francis was nowhere to be seen.
He’s
still below deck
, she thought to herself.
I can’t let him
sink.

Lily climbed onto one of the
narrow planks as sailors and their prisoners clambered across it,
up toward the Glide. Lily ran down toward them, trying her best to
keep her balance on the plank which was now shaking with all the
movement and weight placed upon it. As the onslaught of men going
up the quivering plank rushed at her, Lily jumped atop the back of
a crouching pirate, who was moving up the plank on all fours, and
jumped back down behind him, heading straight toward the Red
Mist.

The deck of the sinking ship
was frenzied with men running in all directions. It was also now
much lower than the two ships on either side of it. Lily ran,
ducking and dodging all the men scurrying off the doomed craft.

In his cell below, Francis was
now wading knee-deep in water. The ship was tilted toward the bow.
An empty cell at the start of the corridor had a faulty lock and
its door swung open, clanging against the cell next to it. Francis
looked over at Keeb with a panicked look on his face.

“Trust me,” Keeb said to him.
“This is a much better way to die.”

Francis charged at the bars of
his locked door and seized them with both hands. He shook them with
all his strength, clenching his teeth. “Help! Help!” he
shouted.

The door above the ladder
ripped open. A figure jumped down into the corridor with a splash.
Francis looked up.

Bodin grabbed the keys off the
peg.

“What’s happening?” Francis
yelled. The water was now above his waist. Bodin unlocked his cell
and pulled the door against the heavy water. He gripped the back of
Francis’ neck and shoved him toward the ladder.

“Climb,” Bodin instructed.

Another figure jumped down into
the water from the doorway, and this person brandished a sword.

Lily.

She had found the sword
abandoned on deck.

“Nice to see the coward finally
show his face,” she said to Bodin.

Bodin whipped his sword from
its sheath, knocking Lily’s right out of her hands. Lily had no
time to react as Bodin sheathed his sword, swung Francis over his
shoulder and snatched Lily by the arm, flinging her out of the way
as if she were a mere piece of crumpled parchment. Screaming, Lily
splashed down into the open first cell.

Bodin, with Francis over his
shoulder, scaled the ladder.

“Lily!” Francis yelled, as he
kicked and punched at Bodin. Water poured in on top of them from
the doorway.

The door to the open cell swung
back shut, its unpredictable lock clicking once.

Outside, the bow of the ship
was now sunken. The stern tilted up toward the sky. Bodin, one
brutish arm around Francis, moved deep beneath the surface of the
water. He swam, away from the vessel, the commotion above now
silenced by the hungry ocean.

Keeb, trapped in his now fully
submerged cell, saw the ring of keys float by, right under his
nose. He could not believe his luck. He seized the ring and moved
to unlock his door. Free at last, he swam toward the doorway to the
deck, passing Lily trapped in her own cell. He continued to swim
underwater and moved under the HMS Whisper. He wanted to be as far
away as possible from the Royal Navy. The navy no longer needed him
now that the Red Mist had been captured, and would likely place him
under arrest for all his years as a pirate. Keeb now had a chance
to be free of everyone. He could start a new life. He could change
his name and join another ship and no one would ever know that he
had accepted money from the Royal Navy to spy on his own.

He swam up to the surface a few
times to breathe, and once he reached the mouth of the bay, he
stopped and turned, taking one last look at the two ships which
remained afloat.

Two heads popped up, right
before him, stunning Keeb. The two were surprised to see him as
well. Pleasantly surprised.

“You did this,” Captain Leonard
accused, treading water alongside Ratwell. Both had stuffed their
hats inside their clothing. “I lost my ship because of you.”

“We need each other now,” Keeb
pleaded, moving away. “You have no crew left. You need me now.”

“Let me show you what I need,”
Captain Leonard said.

Keeb knew something terrible
was about to happen. “Please,” is all he could think of to say.

Captain Leonard clutched the
top of Keeb’s head with both hands and pushed it down under the
water. Keeb fought back, swinging his arms. He did not want to die
this way. He felt another pair of hands on his shoulders. They,
too, pushed down. Keeb fought on, but his arms hit nothing. He
opened his mouth to scream; perhaps the British Navy would hear
him, and save him. He had been their spy after all. Keeb, however,
only ended up swallowing a mouthful of water, which hurt as it
rushed down his throat.

Above water, Captain Leonard
and Ratwell continued to hold Keeb down. Until he no longer fought.
Until he no longer moved. They both let go. Keeb remained still,
dead still, just beneath the surface of the water.

* * *

From the deck of the HMS Glide,
Captain Strick watched as the last of the Red Mist sank between the
two British ships. He turned to face Kenworth, his first mate.

“Have everyone at the ready.
Some of the remnant crew may swim up to surface, including Bodin
and the boy.”

He turned to see all the
prisoners on his deck being escorted down below.

“Is the girl safely out of the
way?” he asked.

“The last time I saw her she
was standing by one of the planks,” Kenworth replied, “right before
the Red Mist sank.”

Captain Strick frowned.
“Kenworth, she was not to leave my chambers.”

* * *

As sunrays penetrated through
the water, Lily saw the prisoner from the other cell swim away,
leaving her behind. Perhaps he had not seen her or perhaps, being a
pirate, he did not care. She thought she could see a brass ring of
keys in his hand, the ring shimmering golden light as it reflected
the rays piercing the water. The pirate released the ring as he
swam up through the open doorway to the deck. The ring and keys
floated downwards, sinking. Lily reached her hand out through the
bars of her locked cell, as far as the bones and skin of her arm
would allow. With her bare eyes, however, everything underwater
looked blurred. She felt the edges of the keys brush against the
tips of her fingers. She stretched her fingers as far as they
could, but all they managed to do was push the keys further away.
This ship was sinking and it was taking Lily down with her. Lily
felt faint. She had been holding her breath far too long.

No
, she thought,
clenching the cell bars with both hands.
I just need to last a
little longer.

She felt her body fight her,
trying to make her breathe in. She would not… she could not… her
nose breathed in... breathed in water...

A ghostly figure faded into
view… from above… and glided past her cell...

Daddy?

Lily wanted to reach out. But
water flooded her lungs. She fought back. Or at least it felt like
she was fighting. She was no longer moving.